


5+1

by bahnhofsblumen



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: "Training", 5 times malec doesn't notice maryse and the 1 time they do, 5+1, Bisexual Maia Roberts, Coffee Shops, Engagement, F/M, Good Parent Maryse Lightwood, Grocery Shopping, Hunter's Moon Bar (Shadowhunter Chronicles), M/M, Multi, Pansexual Isabelle Lightwood, Pansexual Simon Lewis, dinner date, immortal husbands fic tho i don't mention immortality even once, just know alec is gonna be immortal in the future, lukemaryse is good fight me, magnus can rip my heart out xoxo, magnus grocery shopping like a mundane is what i live for, malec playing pool, picnic date, poly background relationship, saiabelle is mentioned, training at the institute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-06-17 05:40:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15454542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bahnhofsblumen/pseuds/bahnhofsblumen
Summary: 5 times Magnus and Alec don't notice Maryse watching them and the 1 time they do.





	1. Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maryse wants coffee but then gets an even nicer surprise at the coffee shop. She doesn't even remember the last time Alec had giggled.

It was almost noon when Maryse finally got out of bed. She didn’t have anything to do for the day and it’s also her day off work.

She’d been eternally grateful when Luke had offered her a job as a secretary at his precinct. It helped her immensely in the time it took for her to get a better job.

It wasn’t even that she didn’t have money to pay for her cozy apartment in Brooklyn, her savings had been transferred to Alec who was paying for her bills with them.

Her apartment was close to Magnus and Alec’s loft and they frequently met up to have dinner together.

She liked how close she and her son had gotten in the last couple of months, she’s always had a soft spot for her oldest child. Her relationship with Magnus had improved too, there were things she’d said and done that couldn’t be forgiven and she was very aware of that but she was thankful for the fact that Magnus could overlook her mistakes. At least to some degree.

But she still wasn’t the type of person who could just sit around all day and it was good to have a work schedule until she figured out what to do with the rest of her life. She was restless if she didn’t have enough things to do, the spare shadowhunter energy was not gone from her system yet.

Turning over and looking at her phone screen, she decided to go to the small coffee shop around the corner from her apartment. Maybe she could read a book or call Luke in his lunch break, she wasn’t sure yet.

They’d been going out for almost two months now and Maryse still had butterflies whenever she thought about the way Luke looked at her. Something that had _never_ happened with Robert.

Sighing, she gets out of bed to take a quick shower before putting on her favourite pair of blue jeans - which she had learned to love since becoming a mundane - and a plain white top.  
She brushed her hair and grabbed her makeup bag before sitting back down on her bed to do her daily routine. She carefully filled in her eyebrows, applied a coat of mascara, some powder and a layer of chapstick.

Throwing on a colourful floral cardigan and slipping into her new pair of black and white Vans, she locked her door and headed towards the coffee shop.

Thirty minutes later Maryse arrived at the coffee shop, ordering her latte macchiato and sitting down at a table next to the entrance. It wasn’t extremely busy, considering it was 11am on a weekday and most people were at work.

Waiting for her drink, she pulled out her phone. She has a message from Luke asking for confirmation for their dinner date on the coming friday.

She quickly types a reply - _Of course! I’m looking forward to it, Lucian_ \- when her name is already being called and she gets up to get her coffee.

When she sits back down at her table, she hears a familiar voice a few tables away and sees her son sitting at a table in the back corner of the coffee shop. Sitting opposite of him is his boyfriend, Magnus Bane. She smiled to herself and watched them for a while.

Both of them have one of their hands laying on top of the table, their fingers intertwined. It seems like a gesture they’re used to, their hands finding each other subconsciously. It almost feels intimate between them and Maryse can’t help but think how much Alec deserved this kind of love.

She decides to not make her presence known, though she’s wondering why they’re not glamoured anyway. Alec had never enjoyed being among mundanes unless he absolutely needed to be. She wondered if that had changed since he’d started dating Magnus.

She opened her book on the page she’d left it the last time but her thoughts seemed to always wander back to her son sitting a few tables away.  
She only got half of the story’s plot line and was ripped out of her bubble soon anyway.

She looked over to Alec and Magnus’s table to find her son giggling at his boyfriend, a wide smile on his face. Involuntarily, she smiled too. She didn’t remember the last time she had seen Alec giggle.

It was nice to see him be happy without any worries on his face. There had been a time where he had never looked relaxed. Even when he was asleep as a kid, Maryse could feel the deep worry in his soul. Probably before he had even known what was going on with him. 

Yet here he was, sitting in a mundane coffee shop with his boyfriend, giggling as if he had absolutely nothing to worry about in his life.

_“Magnus, are you seriously telling me that you told that poor man that you were a thousand year old ancient god?”_

_“Of course I did, there are only four people who know my real age, including you. I had a habit of lying about it for fun a while back. It’s rude to ask people how old they are, immortal or not.”_

_“Do you have a favourite historical figure you met? Besides Freddy Mercury, of course.”_

Alec winked at his boyfriend and Maryse almost couldn’t believe her eyes.

_“How do you even know about that? I’m never letting you talk to my friends ever again, Alexander. And to answer your question, I’d say Claude Monet. I had a phase where I was obsessed with painting. I nearly fainted when someone introduced me to him. I don’t even remember who introduced me.”_

_“Oh, really? Do you still paint? How come I’ve never seen any of your paintings?”_

_“I do but very rarely. I can show you some, if you want, though for a few of the paintings we have to travel to a museum in europe. I think they somehow ended up in Italy. Or in spain, I’m not sure.”_

She shook her head, grinning to herself. She’d put her book away by now, quietly drinking her coffee and trying her hardest not to eavesdrop on their conversation. At least that was the lie she told herself.

_“I’m sure your paintings are all absolutely stunning. Is there even something you can’t do, babe?”_

She heard Magnus chuckle before answering.

_“You know that I’m incredibly impatient with most things aside from painting and I’m really bad at improv theater. And I’m a terrible liar.”_

_“Ok, first of all, I agree with the lying thing. Remember when you told me the stew tasted good and then proceeded to magic it better so my mum wouldn’t actually drop dead in your loft? And I was so nervous that I didn’t even notice you were lying!”_

_“Oh god, cooking is definitely not your thing, dear. But I didn’t marry you for your culinary expertise.”_

Before Maryse could even react shocked, her son snorted and she saw him lean over the table to press a chaste kiss to Magnus’s lips.

_“You haven’t even married me at all yet, Magnus.”_

_“Not yet, no. Also, it’s not my loft, it’s ‘our’ loft and I’d definitely marry you for something else, darling.”_

Just as Maryse gathered her things and dropped money for the coffee on the table, she saw Alec roll his eyes. Although, the smile on his face betrayed him when he said _“Magnus, we’re in public! Behave yourself.”_

She really did not want to think about what exactly Magnus had been talking about. She was Alec’s mother, after all, and there were lines she didn’t cross. She left, careful to not let them see her.

As she turned and walked around the next street corner, she saw that Luke was calling her.

“Yes, Lucian?”

_“My break starts soon, do you wanna drop by? I know it’s your day off but…we could have lunch together if you aren’t too busy.”_

“I’d love to. I’ll be there in 15 minutes.”

Grinning, she put her phone back into her pocket and started to walk in the direction of the police station. All in all, it hadn’t been a bad day and it was about to get even better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uhhhhhhhhh, chapter 2 is currently about halfway done so idk when I'll update but I hoped you liked chapter 1!♥


	2. Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maryse is on a dinner date with Luke so naturally Alec and Magnus walk in. Also, is Izzy dating someone? What's the tea, sis
> 
> (Or: Can Maryse ever go anywhere without running into malec? No. This is fictional and I make the rules.)

The situation at the coffee shop was already stored in the back of her mind when the next friday rolled around and therefore her dinner date with Luke.

She’d left work with a kiss to Luke’s cheek that day. He’d smiled at her with a soft “See you tonight”.

She had put on her favourite dark red dress that was hitting her just below her knees and a black, fitted blazer with red lipstick matching her dress, keeping the rest of her makeup simpler, when Luke opened the door to her apartment with his key.

“Hello, Lucian.” She walked over to the door, pressing a greeting kiss to his lips.

“Hey. You look great, Maryse. Are you ready to get going?”

Nodding, she grabbed her purse, hung it over her shoulder and slipped into her black heels. Once they stood in the hallway, she locked the door behind them and took the arm Luke was offering to her.

The restaurant they had reserved a table at was only a few blocks away so they could walk there together without needing to flag down a cab.

She liked talking to Luke about everything and nothing or just quietly enjoying his company.

Luke also insisted on walking her home after every date.  
According to him, he knew that she could defend herself just fine but he just slept better knowing nothing had happened to her on her way home. It was kind of endearing, really.

Their conversation was straying to all kinds of things while they were waiting for their food. Their table was in the middle of the restaurant, with Luke’s back facing the entrance and Maryse sitting across from him.

Luke shared childhood stories about Clary and Maryse told Luke about the time Izzy had asked Alec to cut her hair while they were alone and Izzy had ended up with a very uneven bob.

And how that had led to her coming back and finding her daughter who - according to Alec - had been crying for the past 2 and a half hours.

She laughed. “At least he didn’t give her bangs. That would have been a disaster.”

Luke smiled back at her.

“We had a hair incident too but it was Clary cutting off Simon’s hair in 6th grade. He had been growing it out because he’d seen some boys at their school have longer hair and wanted that too and then Clary cut it all off completely one day.”

“That does sound like something Clary would do. Has she always been such a whirlwind?”

Luke’s smile turned fonder and Maryse could understand that, he had always loved Clary as if she was his own child.

Their food had been brought to their table in the meantime and it looked delicious.

Maryse had ordered pasta dish with a sauce she hadn’t tried yet but it smelled really good so she would probably like it.

She had not paid attention to what Luke had ordered earlier and from what she could see on his plate it mainly consisted of meat. Which wasn't a surprise.

He looked at her once the waitress had left their table.

“Let’s hope it tastes as good as it looks.”

Just as she nodded, smiling back at him, she saw two very familiar men walk through the door of the restaurant and she slid down in her chair a little bit.

Alec was wearing a nice navy blue suit, the suit jacket open with a white dress shirt underneath. He was wearing his fancy brown leather shoes as well.

He looked good but most of all he looked happy. He didn't take his eyes off of Magnus who was standing next to him the whole time, just holding his hand while he was talking to a waiter.

Magnus was wearing a black shirt and black pants and she could see the embroidery details on his shirt peeking out from under his studded, dark grey coat. 

She watched them get taken to a table next to the entrance on the left and she let out a relieved sigh.

Luke just looked at her, arching one eyebrow.

“Alec and Magnus just walked in. But they shouldn't be able to see us from where they're sitting.”

“It's not like they don't know we're dating.”

Maryse smiled, the fact that they were dating still made her feel warm inside. She hoped it would always feel like this.

“No, I know but I like seeing them act the way they do when they're alone. But we can all go on a double date sometime if you want to.”

He nodded, smiling back at her.

Maryse looked over to their table just as Magnus was blowing Alec kisses over the table while Alec laughed and she basically knew he was rolling his eyes at his boyfriend in the way that was only reserved for Magnus.

“I’m never updated on the gossip but has Izzy found someone?”

Maryse looked back at her date. “Why do you ask?”

Luke shrugged, taking a bite of his food before answering.

“I don't know, she looked happier when I saw her last week. Kind of like Alec when he first started spending more time with Magnus.”

Maryse glanced over at her son. No one could deny that he'd been different ever since he met Magnus. He’d seemed lighter and happier and more carefree in the past year. 

She truly was incredibly happy with the way Alec had changed.

“I think she's been seeing Simon and Maia. I’m not sure, though, she hasn't told me anything yet. I’m happy for her if it works out.”

“Oh. I can't say I’m surprised if that's true. I remember the day Maia told me she might be bisexual. Those three seem like a combination that would work.”

She nodded. “I think so too. I just hope she's not telling me about it because they're still trying it out and not because she's afraid of my reaction. I don't care, I just want her to be happy.” _Like Alec._

Luke took her hand in his, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. The gentleness of the gesture made her heart flutter.

“Maryse, I’m sure she knows you’ve changed and that you would be happy for her. She loves you and you love her. She’ll tell you when she's ready.”

He kissed the back of her hand and turned his head in the direction of Alec and Magnus’s table.

“She’s seen how you treat Alec’s relationship. I don't think she's scared. Or, well, I don't think she's scared of you, at least.”

She squeezed his hand.

“Thank you, Lucian.”

They finished their food and Maryse even managed to only sneak a few glances at Magnus and Alec's table.

Alec was looking at Magnus like he'd hung all the stars in the sky the whole time and Maryse was sure she'd never seen someone be so in love with another person.

From where she was sitting she couldn't see Magnus’s face but from seeing them interact with each other and knowing what the two of them had already been through together, she could imagine that Magnus’s eyes shone with the same amount of love in them as her son’s.

After Luke had paid, they had walked out, looking over at Magnus and Alec's table one last time.

“They really are better together.”

Maryse tore her eyes away from the sight of Alec stealing food from Magnus’s plate and she turned back to Luke and nodded.

“They are. I’m so glad Alec has found someone who he loves and who loves him.”

They started their walk back to Maryse’s apartment, Luke holding her hand after helping her into her jacket.

“Magnus is different too. I’ve known him ever since I first turned and he's helped me a lot. He is always helping everyone and he tends to forget that he deserves to be happy too.

And from what Cat and Raphael have told me, this is the healthiest relationship he's been in in a while.

He's also the sappiest person I know and has personally told me about how happy he is with Alec and that it has never felt like this.”

Maryse laughed.

“That's good to hear because Alec is absolutely smitten and it's good that that goes both ways.”

They’d reached Maryse’s apartment and Luke let go of her hand so she could unlock the door.

She unlocked it and turned back around to him, stepping closer and kissing him softly.

“Thank you for the nice evening.”

He smiled. “It was my pleasure. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

She nodded and stepped back into her apartment.

“Be safe on your way home, Lucian, and have a good night.”

“I will. Sleep well, Maryse.”

When he disappeared down the hallway toward the stairs, she closed the door and slipped out of her jacket and her heels.

She smiled to herself, date nights with Luke always made her feel good. He was a true gentleman.

Seeing her son be happy and unbothered had also greatly improved her evening.

Walking over into her bedroom to get into her pj’s and to take off her makeup, all she could think about was that hopefully she had found a love like Magnus and Alec’s with Luke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Yell at me on twitter to start chapter 3 for y'all (also follow me) ](https://twitter.com/bahnhofsblumen)


	3. The Hunter's Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec and Maia are best friends, we been knew

“Maryse? Hey, can I ask you for a favor?”

She turned around and saw Luke jogging over to her from his desk. She had just been on her way out of the office but stopped until he had reached her.

“Of course, Lucian. What is it?”

He held up a book, something that seemed to be biology related, she guessed seeing the cover.

“Maia has a shift at the Hunter’s Moon right now but she needs her book for one of her online classes and I’ll be here overnight, so there’s no way for me to give it to her in time. Could you stop by the bar and give her the book?”

Grabbing the book and putting it away into her bag, she nodded.

“Yes, I don’t have any plans tonight. So it’s not a problem. She’s studying marine biology, right?”

“She is. She’s been taking online classes because of the pack and because she didn’t want to move to another city. She’s in her third year so she’s about to earn her bachelor’s degree soon.”

Smiling at the pride in his voice, she responded, asking where her university is.

“California. I think she’s planning to do her master’s degree after this and if she wants to get a PhD then I’m sure she’ll do that, too. But that’s all up to her. She’s definitely capable.”

“You must be really proud of her. She is an amazingly smart woman. How long is her shift tonight? Do I need to drop by at a certain time?”

He first nodded and then shook his head.

“Yes, I am incredibly proud, she is really like a daughter to me. And no, she’ll be there until two in the morning or something. So you’ll be fine. Again, thank you for doing this, Maryse. See you tomorrow night?”

It’s now Maryse’s turn to nod.

“Yes. And it’s not a problem, it’s not like it’s far from my apartment anyway. See you tomorrow, Lucian.”

He leaned down a bit to kiss her goodbye, before softly smiling at her and then going back to work.

Leaving the police station, she turns in the direction of the nearest subway station.

It had been a relatively nice day so far, ignoring the fact that everyone at work had seemed to be extremely stressed for no particular reason at all today. The subway wasn’t too packed on her way to the station near the Hunter’s Moon and the [ beginning sunset ](https://twitter.com/bahnhofsblumen/status/1033039123181907968) looked like a real life painting.

Stopping for a minute, she pulled out her phone to take a photo to send to Luke.

She arrived at the bar a few minutes later, pushing the door open and shrugging her jacket off. She didn’t see Maia right away so she decided to sit down at the bar near the entrance.

_“Do you ever win without cheating?”_

Recognizing the voice behind her instantly, she carefully turned around and looked over her shoulder, spotting Magnus and Alec at the pool table in the other corner of the bar. It was currently Alec’s turn and he glared up at his boyfriend through his lashes. 

_”It was one time, babe, and may I remind you who distracted me into accidentally cheating? Also, it’s_ pool _and not the end of the world. Plus, I would have won anyway.”_

_”Oh really, pretty boy?”_

She grinned to herself right as Maia walked up to her, waving from behind the bar.

“Hey, Maryse! Do you want something to drink?”

Tearing her eyes away from Magnus - who is currently trying to distract Alec by tickling him with subtle wisps of blue magic - she smiled at Maia.

“Luke asked me to bring you one of your textbooks, I was headed home but I’ll take a glass of water, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Nodding, she walked away to get the water and Maryse turned back to look at Alec and Magnus.

They’ve abandoned their pool game completely by now and seem to have forgotten that there’s a lot of other people around. All Maryse can see is one of her son’s hands on Magnus’s ass and Magnus’s hands in Alec’s hair.

“This is the third time this week. Will they ever get out of their honeymoon phase? Ugh.”

She put down the glass of water in front of her and Maryse pulled the textbook out of her bag to give to Maia.

“To be honest, I hope they never will. I’m glad Alec is like this, considering he thought he’d never get to have this happiness.”

Maia turned to look at her. “I wasn’t saying he didn’t deserve it. He’s just the biggest, most annoying sap on the planet, especially when he gets drunk without Magnus.”

She raised an eyebrow back at the bartender. “I know what you meant. But I would’ve thought he is actually worse when Magnus _is_ around.”

“Well, he is. Look at them. Everytime they walk in together, we all know that they’ll be making out on the pool table by the end of the night. And then I have to make sure there’s no mundanes around to see Magnus just create a portal in the middle of the room directly into their bedroom.”

She closed her mouth, smiling apologetically. “Sorry, probably too much information for you.”

_”Do you want another drink, darling?”_

_”All I want is to get out of here and get you in our bed.”_

Before Maryse could even blink twice, Magnus had created a yellow glowing portal and both of them had disappeared through it.

“See? They’re terrible. And I’m saying this as one of Alec’s best friends. They’re like horny teenagers:”

Maryse laughed. “That’s ironic since Magnus is very far from being a teenager. Anyway, how is Isabelle?”

Maia stopped cleaning the glass in her hand and froze for a split second and that was all the evidence she needed to know something was going on between Maia and Isabelle,

“I think she’s good. I haven’t really talked to her today.”

A customer sat down at the other end of the bar and Maia walked over to greet the man. Maryse just watched her, thinking about when Isabelle would tell her about her relationship.

She supposed she deserved the silence, though. Maybe she’d meet with Isabelle and carefully ask her about relationships. 

Maia didn’t say anything when she walked back over. She just shyly smiled at her and Maryse smiled back.

“So, Maia, Luke tells me you’re getting your bachelor’s degree next year?”

“I- yes. Luke told you about my degree?”

Maryse nodded. “Of course, I asked him about it. Are you happy with your choice?”

Maia smiled excitedly and Maryse finally felt like Maia relaxed a bit around her.

“I actually do, yeah. I’m planning on doing my master’s degree after my bachelor’s and then do research with a scientist group. I’ve always loved the ocean but I am super scared of it. Learning more about it has made it less terrifying, though.”

Looking at her watch, Maryse got up, gathering her jacket and her bag.

“That’s good, Maia. I’m glad you love what you’re doing. I need to get going but I’ll drop by again soon. Get home safely later.”

Maia just nodded, saying goodbye to her as well. Outside Maryse put on her jacket and started walking in the direction of her apartment.

She smiled thinking about Maia and how good Maia would be for her daughter. She hoped Isabelle would tell her soon - if there was something to tell - which Maryse was almost 100% positive of.

Thinking about Magnus and Alec again, she fondly rolled her eyes. Judging by how they acted she thought it was about time for rings on their hands but she knew that wasn’t her decision.

But knowing her son, she didn’t think she’d have to wait much longer. They deserved all the happiness in the world and Maryse was glad Alec had found someone who loved him the way Magnus did.

Laying in her bed in her apartment she thought about their lives. Her son was gay and happy and irrevocably in love with his warlock boyfriend. Her daughter was probably dating a werewolf and a daylighter and she was a mundane woman, ex-shadowhunter dating a werewolf pack leader who was also an ex-shadowhunter.

Falling asleep slowly, she couldn’t imagine their lives being any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am useless so chapter four might take a while, sorry lol♥


	4. The park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, here's the tea on Izzy's dating life. Drink up, my dudes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhhhhhh yeah I'm back and better than ever. Or not. Sorry this took so long, I literally hadn't opened that document since august 26th. I'm a useless gay.  
> Hope you like the non-malec chapter lol

A knock on her door ripped Maryse out of her thoughts. She got up, leaving her cup of coffee abandoned on her kitchen island and opened the door, a smile on her lips, aimed at the guest she knows she’s expecting.

“Isabelle! How are you, sweetheart?”

Izzy was smiling back at her, moving closer to hug her mum.

“I’m doing well. My new promotion keeps me busy but I have Alec if I need help so I’m okay. How are you, mum?”

Maryse grabbed her jacket and closed the door behind herself. “I’m fine. Are you ready to go to the park? I thought we could grab a coffee and a bite to eat and enjoy the sun for a bit. Talk about some stuff.”

Her daughter shrugged. “Yeah, sure, why not.”

It looked nonchalant to anyone who didn’t know Isabelle but Maryse saw the anxiety she was trying to hide. Well, it _was_ time to talk about some things, after all.

They started their way to Maryse’s favourite coffee shop, Izzy obviously trying not to seem like there was something she had on her mind. She wondered how long she would last without spilling what was on her mind.

“So, how does it feel being the Weapon’s master of the NY Institute?”

“Oh, I _love_ it. It is a lot of work, Alec wasn’t kidding with that but it feels like that job was made for me. I helped Clary pick out her signature weapon not too long ago and it is so interesting to watch someone in that situation.”

Maryse smiled. “Sounds like you’re great at what you do. I’m very proud of you, Isabelle. How are Simon and Maia?”

Izzy blushed, opening the door to the coffee shop, letting her mum walk in first.

“Thank you, mum. Uhh, I think Maia and Simon are fine. I haven’t actually seen them in a few days. I mean, we’ve texted but yeah. I’ve been busy at the Institute."

Maryse nodded. It was their turn in line so they ordered their drinks, waiting for them at the counter quietly.

Grabbing their cups and the sandwiches they had picked up, they continued their walk to the nearby park.

Arriving there, however, Maryse groaned. Which made her receive a questioning look from her daughter.

“Look over there, behind that big tree.”

She saw Isabelle turn her head and then realize who was here in the park, picnicking.

“It’s like I follow them around. Everywhere I go, they are, too.”

Izzy grinned. “They _do_ go on a lot of dates. Especially since Alec’s learned to let other people help him with his workload. You aren’t annoyed, are you?”

Maryse tore her head away from the happy couple. “ _Annoyed?_ No, absolutely not. I think it’s wonderful and kind of heartbreaking to see them together so much. It reminds me of how terrible I was.”

They sit down on the nearest bench together, Isabelle resting her arm on the back of the bench.

“Mum, you weren’t terrible. We always knew you’d be there for us if we needed it. I can’t speak for Alec but I never thought you didn’t love us. Yes, you had your prejudices and I’m in no way excusing some of the things you said but everyone can see how much you’ve changed since the almost wedding.”

Maryse sighed. “I _know_ there’s things I can’t ever fix. All I ever dared to hope after Alec came out was that it wasn’t too late to be a good mother for him. I didn’t even realize I needed to be better for you, too. I always gave you such a hard time and for what? Some bigoted high-rank Shadowhunters who had _no right_ to expect _anything_ of you?”

When Maryse looked back at Isabelle, she saw a few tears fall from her daughter’s cheeks. She put their coffee down next to them on the bench and took Izzy’s hands into her own.

“I’m so glad to hear you realize what went wrong, mum. I’ve been talking to Alec a lot about his coming out and your parenting and neither of us think you were a bad mother. We might be biased and sure, there were times when we hated your views and wished you would be easier on us but we never doubted you loved us.”

Maryse handed her a tissue. They had almost finished their coffees by now anyway and when Maryse walked over to a trash can to throw the cups away, she saw Magnus and her son get up from the blanket.

Quickly looking around, Magnus waved a hand and their picnic equipment vanished. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw her son shake his head at his boyfriend, taking the warlock’s hand before walking away together.

She returned to Izzy, smiling to herself.

“What has you smiling so broadly?”

She sat back down. “I just watched your brother _shake his head_ at Magnus for making their picnic equipment vanish. That relationship is what I always wanted when I married your father. We never had that and now I finally understand why.”

Isabelle moved to hug her mother. “You deserve that, though. I hope you have that with Luke now. How are you two doing, by the way?”

“We work together really well. We had dinner together a few days ago at a fancy restaurant, we get lunch together at work and I might just invite him to stay over soon. I haven’t decided yet. But enough about my dating life, how’s _yours_?”

 

Her daughter blushed. “Actually, I’ve wanted to talk to you about that. I heard you asked Maia about me?”

She nodded. “Yes. Luke asked me to stop by to bring her one of her textbooks. Is there something you want to talk to me about?”

“What would you think about me dating her? Not that I think you’d have a problem with me also being interested in women! I just wanted your opinion on it.”

Maryse laughed. “No, I absolutely don’t have a problem with that. And I think Maia is a lovely woman. Are you happy?”

Izzy nodded, biting her lip.

“Yes, I am really happy.”

“Then I am happy for you, sweetheart.”

They were quiet for a minute.

“Mum? I have something else to tell you. I’m also dating Simon. I’m dating Simon _and_ Maia. And I hope you’re okay with that because if you’re not then that’s not my problem but I would really like to share that part of my life with you.”

She smiled warmly at Izzy. “Of course I am okay with that. I’ve already had my suspicions that the three of you were dating and Luke has noticed you are happier too. As long as all of you are happy, I don’t mind. It isn’t really my business either. But thank you for sharing this with me, I really appreciate it.”

They both got up, hugging each other and heading back in the direction of the Institute, right in time for Izzy’s next patrol.

They stopped outside the old abandoned church that the Institute was located in.

“Thank you, Isabelle, I had a lovely afternoon. Keep me updated on you, Maia and Simon.”

She grinned at her mother. “Of course, mum. Thank you for accepting this.”

Waving that off, Maryse held her daughter’s hand. “You don’t have to thank me for that. I wouldn’t want to change you in any way, Isabelle. I _know_ I don’t tell either of you enough but I do really love you and I am incredibly proud of you.”

There were tears escaping Izzy’s eyes again but Maryse could see they were tears of relief instead of sadness.

“I’ll see you around, mum. I love you too.”

With that, she turned around and disappeared into the Institute, leaving Maryse to walk back home to her apartment.

It wasn’t too late in the afternoon yet, barely even 6pm, and she decided to see if there were any errands she needed to get done. Or maybe she would get comfortable on her couch with a cup of tea and takeaway and a good book. 

Nevertheless, she enjoyed her new life and her new freedom. And her new relationships.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I will finish this fic in 2018 lmao  
> yell at me on twitter  or on  tumblr


	5. Grocery shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"I never thought I could have this growing up. And now? All of us have found love and I’m dating you, a man and a warlock."_

Maryse was walking through the aisles of a grocery store near her apartment, shopping for a few things she was getting low on and some chocolate to curl up on the couch to once she was back home. She was planning on finally finishing the book she had started the week before and it was already fairly late.

_”Did you get the eggs?”_

_”Yes, and I also grabbed that spice we were running low on yesterday.”_

She stopped, listening to the two familiar voices in the next aisle over. She’d recognize her son and his boyfriend anywhere.

She smiled at the domesticity between the two. Anyone who didn’t know them would think they were an old married couple. It was definitely nice to see the stark contrast between Head of the Institute Alec and High Warlock of Brooklyn Magnus and just Magnus and Alec doing grocery shopping.

_”Have you talked to your mother yet, darling?”_

_”About dinner on wednesday? No, not yet. I think she’s working late that day but even if she is we can just portal to Madrid for dinner. I loved that small restaurant we were at the last time. You know, the one that friend of Cat owns?”_

Maryse was carefully changing aisles to avoid the two of them seeing her.

_”That’s a wonderful idea, Alexander. How is your sister? You said she was crying yesterday?”_

_”She walked in when I was just about to leave the Institute. When she saw that I was obviously worried she told me she was just happy. Apparently she came out to mum and told her she is dating Simon and Maia. I’m not entirely sure what my mother said but she was really okay with it.”_

She fought back a sob threatening to escape her throat before she remembered that there were other people around and she should at least pretend to be looking around to not look like a stalker.

Their voices grew quieter as they moved down the aisle, actually doing grocery shopping contrary to Maryse herself.

She didn’t often miss being a shadowhunter but she surely missed some of her runes now, wishing she could hear Magnus and Alec better with minimal effort.

 _”I’m so proud of them, Magnus. Both Izzy and my mum. I never thought I could have this growing up. And now? All of us have found love and I’m dating you, a man_ and _a warlock. And Izzy’s in a poly relationship and my mother didn’t actually care as long as she’s happy!”_

Maryse was sure her heart grew into ten times its size and if she wasn’t careful, she might have started crying.

_”I’ve watched your mother’s actions ever since she was a teenager and all I can say is she’s grown so much since your almost wedding and even though I did flirt with you, I would never have dreamt of any of this._

_That we could openly be a couple and have your mother support us. I never thought you’d choose me back then. Not with how I imagined you were brought up.”_

Maryse was aware of all these things, she’d had long, open conversations with her son about all of this in the past months but hearing it still made her heart ache.

If she could go back in time and change herself, she would, without a doubt.

_”Magnus, I’ll always choose you.”_

Deciding that she had heard enough, she moved away and walked to the other end of the store.

The last thing she heard had been softly exchanged _’I love you’s_.

She went on to pay and then went back home, unnoticed by her son and his boyfriend.

♥

Hours later, after she’d curled up on the couch with a cup of tea and her chocolate, her doorbell rang.  
She looked at her clock on the wall. Who would visit her at 10pm?

She opened the door and was surprised to see Magnus standing there.

“Good evening, Maryse. I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something.”

She nodded and moved to hug him. “Sure, come in.”

“Did you walk over here? Your face is very cold.”

Now that Maryse thought about it, he looked kind of nervous. She didn’t think she had ever seen him be nervous other than Alec’s almost wedding.

“I did, yeah. I needed the fresh air instead of a portal.”

She moved the blanket to the side of the couch and picked up her book to put it on the coffee table, next to the remains of her chocolate bar.

“So, what did you want to talk about then. Has something happened?”

He shifted in his seat. “Yes and no. Nothing in particular happened but a lot has changed over the last few years.”

She nodded, encouraging him to continue.

“I know we haven't always been amicable towards each other. But I love Alexander and you Lightwoods have become my family.”

“We consider you family too, Magnus. I hope you know that.”

He smiled warmly. “ I do. That is why I came to you first. I want you to know that I am going to ask Alexander to marry me. Tonight.”

Maryse was surprised and at the same time not surprised at all. She’d been waiting for New York’s power couple to get engaged for a while but hearing those plans come from Magnus did surprise her. She had been expecting her son to propose, knowing how little luck Magnus had had with relationships - and marriage especially - before.

But she supposed it made sense that even this was different for Magnus when it came to Alec.

Magnus continued his speech, unaware of Maryse’s internal monologue.

“And I’m not asking you for your permission because Alexander and I are both adults but I do respect you and wanted to let you know before I ask him. Just so you know.”

She smiled at him once he finally looked up at her again. “That’s great, Magnus. He’s going to say yes, I hope you’re not doubting that.”

“I’m not, we’ve talked about it before. You aren’t nearly as surprised about this as I thought you would be.”

She leaned back on the couch. “I’ve been expecting it, waiting for it. Even if I didn’t like you, Magnus, anyone can see how much you and Alec love each other. It’s about time.”

He was about to answer Maryse when his phone rang and she knew it was Alec by the way his face lit up.

“Alexander! - Yes, I’ll be home in a minute. - I know, I love you too.”

When he hung up, he looked at her apologetically.

“Go. You two have my blessings to get married and adopt seven dogs and live happily ever after. Not that you need my approval. Now get out of my apartment and get home to my son. I expect to be shown the ring soon.”

He got up from the couch and opened a portal. “Thank you, Maryse. I’ll talk to you later.”

She nodded. “You’re family, Magnus. Now go and make it official.”

With that he left and Maryse smiled to herself, walking into the kitchen to reheat her tea and finish her book. She might need to visit the Institute tomorrow if Alec even made it out of the loft.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yell at me on [tumblr ](http://www.ifthingsgetcrazy.tumblr.com/) or [ twitter ](http://www.twitter.com/bahnhofsblumen/), whatever you prefer


	6. The Institute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maryse catches Malec "training" at the Institute. Sis, wbk they're just making out on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this because I'm on bedrest today. I got a tattoo on the 12th (which was my 18th birthday) and it covers my complete left ribcage so I thought staying in bed all day for a day would be nice. So why not finish this beast.

Maryse woke up feeling lighter and younger than she ever had in the morning. She rolled over, reaching for her phone on the bedside table and checking the time.

She decided to call Isabelle who should be awake, since it was already 11am.  
Sending her a quick _“Can I call you?”_ text, she got out of bed to make breakfast.

She walked into her kitchen, humming along to _the nutcracker_ that was playing on the radio in her living room. It was one of her favourite classical pieces and a go-to as soon as it turned autumn.

Taking her cup of coffee into the living room and sitting down on the couch, she checked her phone for her daughter’s response.

_”Yeah, of course.”_

Izzy picked up almost instantly, greeting her with a cheerful _”Hey, mum. What’s up?”_

“I was wondering if you’ve seen Alec around the Institute today?”

_”He was here this morning when I came back from my patrol. Why? Has something happened?”_

“No, I was just thinking of stopping by to visit you two. I’ll be over in thirty minutes? If that’s okay.”

There was silence on the other end and Maryse was about 99% sure that her daughter was checking their schedules.

_“Yeah, no problem, I’ll go and tell Alec if I can find him. See you then, mum.”_

Maryse hung up and got off the couch to put her now empty coffee cup in the sink. With one glance at the clock on the wall she walked back in her bedroom to get dressed.

She ended up wearing her favourite dark red turtleneck sweater and a pair of dark jeans, throwing on a warm cardigan and a pair of brown heeled boots before walking out the door.

It wasn’t quite winter yet but it was an especially clear and cold autumn day and when she arrived at the Institute, her nose and the tips of her ears had turned a little red. Though it wasn’t cold enough for a scarf yet.

Isabelle was waiting for her outside and immediately went to hug her once she was close enough.

“Hey, mum! I just need to go grab our coffee from the kitchen and then we’ll have Alec’s office to ourselves all afternoon. You could go and get Alec in the meantime if you wanted to? He said he wanted to train a little bit until you arrived.”

Maryse nodded, making her way over to the big training room, while Izzy turned to go to the Institute’s small kitchen.

It was relatively quiet in the Institute, most Shadowhunters were probably on their patrols. The only person she met on the way was actually Underhill - Andrew, if she remembered correctly - whom she only knew from Alec’s stories. From what she had gathered so far, her son and him had become friends in the months he’d been in New York and therefore Maryse liked him already.

She nodded at him in passing and was surprised to get a friendly smile back in response.

When she arrived at the training room and saw Magnus, she wasn’t incredibly surprised that there was no training going on at all. All she was able to see was Alec on the floor and his fiancé straddling him. It seemed like they were busier making out than actually working out.  
At least they’d had the decency to wear workout clothes, though.

Shaking her head fondly, she cleared her throat loudly. At that, they both whipped their heads around like they hadn’t expected to be interrupted.

“Mum. What are you doing here?”

Magnus moved off of Alec and held out a hand to help his fiancé up.

“I called Isabelle earlier if you came in today. And I wanted to see the ring, of course! But you were clearly busy _’training’_.”

Her son stared at her in shock. “How do you even _know_ about that? I haven’t had the chance yet to tell Iz.”

She smiled. “I’ll tell you in a moment but let’s get to your office, your sister is waiting with coffee. And that way you can tell her too. Two birds with one stone and all that.”

They walked over to Alec’s office where they were greeted by a confused Izzy. “Magnus! I didn’t know you were here today.”

They all sat down on the big couch and the armchairs, Magnus quickly summoning another mug for himself. Maryse studied them for a moment. The mug had a big _‘M’_ on it and Maryse knew all too well that they had a matching one with an _‘A’_ on it at the loft.

“So, are you going to show me or do you want to keep me waiting, Alec?”

“Show her what, _hermano_?”

Now Alec blushed and Magnus instinctively reached for his hand, shuffling closer to him.

“Show her my engagement ring, Iz.” He held out his hand towards his mother. It was a simple, relatively thin golden ring and it was very Alec. She wondered what their wedding bands were going to look like, though she didn’t quite want to ask.

“It suits you very well. Good job, Magnus. And congratulations, you two. I can’t say I was surprised that you two were getting engaged yesterday. I just didn’t expect Magnus to be the one proposing, knowing Alec, that is.”

“Wait, wait, wait, since when are you two _engaged_? And how did I not notice the ring this morning? You never wear jewelry! I should have known.” Izzy had taken his hand into her own and was moving his hand in the light to see the ring shine.

Magnus had been watching the whole situation fondly, now intertwining their fingers again.

“Thank you both. The ring will match our wedding bands perfectly if Alexander chooses to wear both rings in the future.”

Alec huffed and actually sounded offended at the thought of that. “Of course I’ll wear both, Magnus. That’s one more ring that pisses Clave people off, as if I’d ever _not_ want another sign of our love.”

She was certain it was only ever going to get even better for them from now on. Watching this whole scene, Maryse felt more joy than she’d ever imagined. Her son was marrying the love of his life and there was nothing more she had ever wanted for her eldest child than to feel the love and pride and adoration radiate off of her son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No offense but I'm glad I finally finished this, I hope you'll like the last chapter!♥
> 
>  
> 
> [ Talk to me on tumblr ](http://www.ifthingsgetcrazy.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are appreciated!♥


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